A Whitehall ministerial committee set up by the coalition as it pledged to tackle major problems such as obesity, alcohol abuse and growing health inequalities has been scrapped, prompting a furious response from senior doctors.

The cabinet subcommittee on public health, hailed by the government as a symbol of its determination to tackle the causes of some of Britain's biggest killers, has been wound up barely two years after it was created.

The Department of Healthhas told public health leaders about the move, which has been greeted with anger, disappointment and claims that it is short-sighted, but given no explanation. The committee is being replaced by a group of officials.

Senior figures in public health have accused ministers of performing a damaging U-turn by axing a body which the Conservatives in opposition claimed would "send a powerful message that public health is the responsibility of all government departments".

Chaired by the then health secretary Andrew Lansley, it brought together 19 cabinet ministers and junior ministers from 13 government departments and the Cabinet Office, all of whom were meant to help improve public health by co-ordinating their influence over related policy areas such as sport, families and transport with the health department's efforts.

"This committee was a symbol of government leadership that they are now getting rid of. I'm very sad indeed and disappointed at the level of leadership [involved]. Setting it up was a big commitment. It was iconic to us [in the field]. I do feel let down. I'd hate to think this was the government in any way stepping back from its commitment to public health," said Prof Lindsey Davies, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH), which represents specialists in the field in the NHS, local councils and academia.

The decision was baffling, she added, because "we are facing enormous public health challenges, such as obesity, too many people still smoking, problems with alcohol and the gap in health between the rich and poor, which is meant to be narrowing but is widening." The FPH has written to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, outlining its "concerns and dismay" at the move.

Prof Gabriel Scally, a senior doctor who until April was employed by the health department to lead public health efforts in the south-west of England, said getting rid of the subcommittee showed ministers had broken their pledge to make public health a key priority.

"Abolishing the cabinet subcommittee after only two years means the coalition is not only breaking their promise to make public health a priority across government but showing how little they really care about improving the health of the population," said Scally.

"Taking action to deal with massive problems such as obesity, alcohol and injuries requires action right across government and not just by the Department of Health," he added.

"What confidence can anyone have in a government that abolishes their much trumpeted cabinet subcommittee on public health only two years after they set it up?"

A government spokesman denied that axing a body dedicated to the subject meant that public health was being downgraded.

"Public health issues will now be brought into the broader domestic policy committees rather than sitting with a separate subcommittee. This will allow public health issues to be discussed and decisions to be taken by a wider group of ministers from across government," he said.

However, Whitehall sources said it had proved difficult to get ministers from departments other than health to attend the subcommittee and that it had met only a few times.

Davies said that the timing of the decision was odd given that public health specialists were helping to prepare for town halls to take over responsibility for public health in England from the NHS in April as part of the coalition's controversial NHS reforms.

"Many of these people don't know if they'll even have a job next April yet are working hard to set up the new system and to protect us from health challenges such as infectious disease. They will feel let down. The committee was meant to be a national reflection of the way ministers expect public health to work in the future, with everyone working together," Davies added.

The government spokesman said: "Government is reforming the public health system so it is stronger than ever before. We are determined to promote public health and are putting the systems and resources in place to do that."

Labour accused the government of backtracking on a key health policy commitment.

"The government has shamefully abandoned its plans for tackling the public health challenges of the 21st century," said Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary.

"We can only tackle Britain's looming obesity crisis if all government departments pull together to build on the legacy of the Olympics. Ministers are backtracking on commitments made only two years ago, without warning or explanation – they need to get an urgent grip on the public health challenge before it becomes overwhelming."